{"id":445,"date":"2026-04-27T21:38:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T21:38:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davewassermansf.com\/articles\/?p=445"},"modified":"2026-04-27T21:38:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T21:38:19","slug":"installing-appliances-without-permission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davewassermansf.com\/articles\/installing-appliances-without-permission\/","title":{"rendered":"Installing Appliances Without Permission"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>A tenant has installed an unauthorized washer\/dryer and a second refrigerator in my 1900 four-plex. I&#8217;m worried they may overload electrical circuits, not to mention increase utility costs. If possible, I&#8217;d like to avoid this turning into a big dispute. Advice?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It seems that this problem is becoming more prevalent, as residents increasingly believe that they are entitled to unilaterally supplement their housing services with additional appliances.&nbsp; And while many newly refurbished apartments do now contain such amenities, there is no requirement in local or state law that entitles tenants to install a second refrigerator or to add a washer and dryer unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Presumably, the operative lease agreement in question contains restrictions on one\u2019s ability to alter the rental housing without the owner\u2019s express consent.&nbsp; Even rental contracts that are older and inferior to the gold standard <em>SFAA Residential Tenancy Agreement<\/em> (RTA) set forth basic prohibitions against this type of conduct.&nbsp; As for the RTA, it leaves no room for ambiguity:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 32. ALTERATIONS, CHANGES, and PROHIBITIONS:<\/strong>&nbsp; Tenant shall not remodel, renovate, paint, refinish floors, or otherwise alter or change the Premises, common areas, or any other parts of the Building. Tenant shall not apply adhesive paper to any cabinets, walls, or doors; nor shall Tenant hang any plants, planters or lighting fixtures from ceilings or walls; nor shall Tenant tack, nail or glue any coverings to floors or walls without prior written consent of Owner. <strong>Tenant shall not install or operate any large appliances like washing machines, clothes dryers, saunas, portable dishwashers, deep-freeze units, or other appliances, pianos, or outside antennae on the Premises without prior written consent of Owner. <\/strong>Tenant may not install, place, or affix audio or video equipment or cameras outside of the Premises except as permitted by law. No plants, planters or plant boxes may be placed directly on floors, carpets, window ledges or on fire escapes\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The question then becomes how you address this clear breach of a lease covenant, assuming your agreement mirrors the RTA\u2019s admonition.&nbsp; If your lease does not contain a no-alterations clause, you could be stuck.&nbsp; However, your attorney may be able to help you to establish that even absent such an expressly stated prohibition, this activity poses a fire and life safety risk to the building and should therefore be curtailed on that basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet even with concise lease language, most legal practitioners have grown wary of serving and pursuing formal notices that require prompt compliance coupled with a threat to terminate the tenancy if such compliance is not forthcoming, as modern trends in case law and statutory enactments make such endeavors challenging.&nbsp; However, here, the transgression is material and substantial enough, and therefore worthy of such drastic action if less formal attempts to convince your residents to permanently remove the unauthorized appliances have been futile.&nbsp; Indeed, allowing the objectionable installations to remain unchecked not only waives your future ability to compel appropriate behavior but also invites the other three households in this building to install their own unauthorized appliances.&nbsp; Thus, act quickly by first asking politely and in writing that these items be ousted.&nbsp; If you don\u2019t see immediate rectification, have your attorney prepare a notice to cure or quit.&nbsp; Should such measures fail, consider going to court to seek judicial help.&nbsp; Most of these cases never see a trial date, as settlements remain the overwhelmingly probable outcome.&nbsp; But do take timely action.&nbsp; By staying silent, you might very well be faced with damaging water leaks or, worse yet, a devastating electrical fire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A tenant has installed an unauthorized washer\/dryer and a second refrigerator in my 1900 four-plex. I&#8217;m worried they may overload electrical circuits, not to mention increase utility costs. If possible, I&#8217;d like to avoid this turning into a big dispute. Advice? It seems that this problem is becoming more prevalent, as residents increasingly believe that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Installing Appliances Without Permission - Davewassermansf<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/davewassermansf.com\/articles\/installing-appliances-without-permission\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Installing Appliances Without Permission - Davewassermansf\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A tenant has installed an unauthorized washer\/dryer and a second refrigerator in my 1900 four-plex. 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